Welcome back. It’s almost here! The summer CyberSurfari for kids and families starts on June 21. Don’t forget to practice before the treasure hunt begins. The Fun Facts Practice section features none other than yours truly <grin>.

Pokémon

Despite the wise adage to "write what you know," this week I’m tackling Pokémon — the Japanese video game/television show/card game that is currently riding a tsunami of popularity with American kids (mine included.) As many of the following fan sites were created by kids, you’ll find the usual assortment of spelling errors and grammatical mistakes — I was able to overlook them and still enjoy the sites — and I hope you will too.

"Your mission is to be the greatest Pokémon trainer ever and try to catch all 150 Pokémons. One problem, not all 150 Pokémons are gonna be found on one game pak. The solution? Link up your Gameboy with a friend and trade!" With information about the animated television show, the Gameboy games, and the upcoming Nintendo 64 games, this fan site is a great place to get your questions answered. First try the FAQ (where you’ll find Frequently Asked Questions such as "Which Pokémon is the best to start with?") If you don’t see what you’re looking for, Webmaster Yellowfurball and her sister Bluefluff promise to try to answer questions via email.

Want to clone a Gameboy Pokémon? Here’s how: "1) Set up a trade with a player that has a Pokémon they don’t mind deleting. 2) When the screen says, "Waiting…!" the person with the Pokémon they want to clone turns off the Gameboy. 3) Now turn off the other Gameboy. 4) If the code worked, when you restart both Gameboys, both games will have the cloned Pokémon." This utilitarian site is my pick of the day. It neatly categorizes lots of information such as codes, attacks, site maps, TM’s (Technical Machines) and HM’s (Hidden Machines.)

"Your best bet for training Pokémon is to fight against other trainers in the game. If you have fought all of them, then we suggest a) fighting other Pokémon in the unknown dungeon, or b) fighting others in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnibar Island." Best clicks here are the two original downloadable Pokémon computer games (Windows only) found by choosing Pokémon in Your Computer, and then clicking on AbodeWorks Studio.

"When your adventure begins, you’ll be asked to choose names for yourself and your rival, Professor Oak’s grandson. You may choose default names from the computer’s list or make up two of your own." This official site certainly provides insight into how big this Pokémon thing is. Did you know that the Japanese airline ANA has painted one of its transpacific Boeing 747 jetliners with Pokémon characters? Visit Pokémon World for their comprehensive Strategy Guide and the Pokédex encyclopedia, which "will tell you everything you need to know about them [the Pokémon]: their powers, their evolution, who they can beat in a duel…and who to watch out for!"

"You can capture Safari Pokémon by going to the Safari zone and then heading to Cinnibar Island, swim up the half coast and half land and you will be attacked by Safari Pokémon." Universal Pokémon Network has separate sections for the TV show, Gameboy games, and Nintendo 64 games. It is chock-full of tips and game myths (some true, others false), a large gallery of fan art, and fan fiction.